


17:55

by knightlywonders



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Because of Reasons, Good Theo Raeken, Hannah Baker - Freeform, M/M, Non-Supernatural Beacon Hills, Suicide, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-11 19:12:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightlywonders/pseuds/knightlywonders
Summary: Everyone knew about the death of Theo Raeken, but there was no note, no specific reason for it.As Liam Dunbar mourns the death of the Raeken boy; a box of 13 tapes, no, 13 reasons of why Theo Raeken killed himself. And Liam is one of them.But what did Liam do?As Liam digs deeper, he finds more and more people involved in the suicide of Theo Raeken."If you are listening to these tapes then you are a reason why."





	1. Chapter 1

Rain pattered behind Liam as he walked into the silent school, as people walked by his locker, the heavy atmosphere or grief and awkward emotions made Liam turn into the nearest hallway avoiding-- just _his_ locker, avoiding the still massive crowds that were “grieving” of his recent passing. He couldn't even say his name still. It's been two weeks and he just can't. His locker has been decorated with flowers and a small picture of school photos that the school newspaper found in some yearbook. Liam Dunbar reached his locker from the longer way than usual, a right, a left, another right, he twisted his locker combination 11,09, and lastly 24, and opened his locker finding his textbooks, English, Algebra, and Spanish. He took off his raincoat, pushing it into his tiny space he had to himself. “Students, Facility, we must move on from this great tragedy. Today we are here to learn.” The principal said over the intercom. The words rung in Liam’s ears, disgusted by every word everyone is giving both online and in person. “Hashtag never forget,” or “my condolences” he was sick of it. He slammed his locker door, passing by Theo Raeken’s beloved locker.

 

The second bell rung as Liam sat down in his usual seat far from the board, seeing an empty chair from the 3rd row. It was Theo's, Liam got up from his usual seat and sat there, and no one said a thing, it was like everyone forgot he existed, like he meant nothing toward anyone.

 

Finally, the final bell rung as a crowd of students came in and lastly Ms. Morrell who taught social behavior and humanities. Liam felt more comfortable where he was sitting, an earful of music from a Spotify playlist that didn't go leave the internet yet like the rest of him yet.

 

A couple kids came inside the classroom laughing and snickering with each other, Scott McCall, with his group of friends that he usually goes out with like Isaac Lahey and Jackson Whittemore and Ethan Steiner. Then his girlfriend, Malia Tate, who was tailing him in the back, texting on the phone. She looked at Liam with disgust and a pitch of hatred that hit Liam with a fast lacrosse ball, “Hey Dunbar, what are you listening to?” She said half high, smiling as Scott ordered her to shut up and come sit next to him. She quickly did as she was told to do so. Malia sat next to her boyfriend, kissing him on the cheek. Liam rolled his eyes and faced forward toward the board as the topic for the past week was bullying. “Seeking Help” was today’s lesson. Also ever since The “incident” happened, occurred, or happened, Liam just heard about bullying everywhere. The false lies that people kept telling about the kid who killed himself or such and such reason, or he didn’t seek help about this, what pissed him of was his parents today. What they said about Theo Raeken’s suicide. Liam was just surrounded by the topic.

 

“They sent another email to the parents.” Liam’s stepfather said, “I read it this morning.”

 

“My god David, it has been two weeks, will they ever let it go?” Liam heard his mother speak when he was right there, in the doorway of the kitchen, standing. “I mean really a kid overdosed himself with pills, can they have some peace with this?”

 

“Jenna.” Marcus cleared his throat, looking to Liam, and she turned her head toward her son.

 

“Liam.” Jenna said, “I’m sorry.”

 

“I’m going to school.”

 

“Do you want me to take you?”

 

“I’ll walk.”

 

“It’s raining sweetie.”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

Sure, Liam wanted to get over “it”, but not for the reason people thought, he just wanted to have peace it, there was no note, no _reason_ as for this and he just missed the Raeken boy entirely. Even if they had almost a history together like working at the Liam walks by his parents’ shop, almost every day, seeing their sad faces of losing their second child. Sure they worked in the Rocky’s Famous Diner, (where everyone in Beacon Hills has gone or goes there at least once in their lifetime.) together, Theo as the busboy and Liam was working in the back as the dishwasher so they saw each a lot, but there was something that he liked in that Raeken boy, the freedom he processed from the world. Everything he saw about the world was so cool.

 

After four boring classes, lunch came can he saw his best friend sitting at their usual table. Mason sat next to his new boyfriend Corey. Which is still new. As Liam walked toward the table as Scott walked the opposite way, as Liam walked, he tripped over a chair, and pushed Scott, pushing him down onto the floor. Scott looked tense, as if he was going to turn into a Hulk-like creature. The lacrosse captain got up and turned and saw the blue-eyed, the kid on the ground. “What the hell!” Scott yelled, “You think you are so cool since you got to be co-captain?” Scott walked forward as Liam was there frozen. He never seen Scott so angered before.

 

Malia ran to Scott trying to calm him down “It’s not worth it.”  

 

Scott looked at Malia’s face, reading it as he huffed out the anger. “You’re guilty too Dunbar, just like the rest of us!” Malia took his hand and lead him to the designated table for the star athletes and the popular students of the school, it was in the middle of the cafeteria room, where everyone can see the rich and the talented kids were. Even if Liam was the co-captain he hated top be there, he hated to be the spotlight. All he used the sport is an outlet for his anger problems and he guessed lacrosse was just a great sport that he liked.   

 

After school, he met with Stiles, a friend he had growing up, he was a year older but they were neighbors before his mom and dad got divorced and moved in with Marcus, luckily they were still in contact with each other. Stiles and his father were obsessed with his mom’s old Jeep he was fixing with his dad, like an old memento of her or something. “Hey, Liam!” Stiles left his group of friends, seeing Scott there, which made Liam his body of discontentment. Liam just kept walking avoiding the trouble that was gonna happen, “Wanna ride home?”

 

“In your rust bucket of a car?”

 

“I resent that!” Stiles said, “I fixed Roscoe up pretty good over the years. She drives smoothly now.”

 

“Yeah right.”

 

“Look outside it’s raining, Liam,” Stiles grabbed Liam’s forearm, “ you’re gonna get wet and probably get sick, we both don’t want that. Right?”  Stiles gave a slight smile as Liam saw the whole group, that Scott was with just staring at him. Liam nodded yes, as Stiles wand him walked to the jeep.

 

“I don’t get why you still hang out with Scott, he’s gotten--” Liam asked hanging on to his bag as an airbag. He trusted Stiles with his driving just not the Roscoe to stop let’s say at a stop light because of the faulty brakes it has. “Mean.”

 

“Yeah I know I saw the change too, but,” Stiles huffed out, “things happen. You don’t know what’s going on at home, you know, he doesn’t want my dad to get involved, because ‘he can take of it’ himself. We can’t do anything about it.”

 

Liam stayed silent, feeling a ping of guilt. Which he remembered Scott’s father, a troubled cop, abusive, and not caring about the world or his family, the time that Liam met him, he reeked of beer and cigarettes. Now that Scott came out as bisexual a few months ago, Liam could imagine that things probably got worse for him at home. “Right.”

 

“Here we are, your house,” Liam looked over and saw a dark blue house with a porch, and his step dad's car in the driveway.

 

“Thanks, Stiles.” Liam got out of the Jeep and ran inside.

 

The house was warm and smelled like meat and garlic, he saw David in the kitchen cooking. “Hey bud,” the man looked over and saw the kid walking toward the kitchen looked at the pan, "I made dinner, the hospital gave me the night off, I thought we should have a family dinner."

"Okay,”

 

“Oh, by the way, a package came for you today,” Marcus added to the silence.

 

“Cool.” Liam thought it was his new lacrosse equipment that he ordered off Amazon a couple days ago. The box was multied colored with electrical tape and faded markers that drawing that five-year-olds would make, like smiley faces or squiggly lines. Liam twitched his eyebrow, making a face of confusion, he examined the box, seeing that it had no return label on the back. He took the box upstairs to his room and locked the door behind him. Liam quickly opened the box, seeing seven cassette tapes with different colors and design on the label. Each tape had a blue number and a letter. Liam looked the first one, it had a ‘1’ on it and on top had “Tape 1 Side A”. Liam looked at his speakers, Bluetooth obviously. Then he went back downstairs seeing Marcus still cooking. “Hey uh, dad,” he asked, “Do you have a cassette player?”

 

“Why do you need a cassette player?”

 

“History project,” Liam answered quickly enough.

 

“History project?” David asked, “cassette players aren’t that old? Are they?”  

 

“Pretty much.” Liam fakely smirk, feeling sweat roll down his back.

 

“Uh check in the garage,”

 

“Okay, thanks,” Liam said as he opened the indoor entrance to the garage. He looked the selves of the old things that either never worked or never was used, or just was plain old. He reached down as he saw a metal box with two speakers on the sides. “Gotcha.” he reached down and pulled the heavy machine up and took out the cassette out from his pocket. “How do work this thing?” Liam probed through the buttons and finally, the pocket popped the cassette opened. He pushed in the pocket and nothing happened. “Why aren’t you working?” Liam asked He looked straight in front of him and saw the play button wasn’t pressed.

 

Liam pressed down and he heard a voice coming from the speakers. A chill went down toward his back and up toward his back of his head. His body shook as if a volcano erupted, inside his body, like a ghost touched his heart.  

 

_“Hey it’s Theo, Theo Raeken, don’t adjust on whatever you’re listening to this on, It’s me, live and in stereo, no return engagements, no encore, and this time absolutely no requests, so settle in, grab a snack because I’m about to tell you the story of my life well, more specifically how it ended, and if you are listening to this tape that means you are one of the reasons why._

 

“Liam?”

 

Liam jumped as he heard the voice of his mother coming in the garage and his body shook as he arms flailed pushing the boom box violently on to the floor, braking the machine into pieces. “Crap,” Liam said under his breath. He looked at the woman an responded with a tone, “What?”

 

“Dinner’s ready.”

 

“Alright, I’ll be there in a second.” Liam looked at the broken boom box and reached down popped off the pocket seeing the cassette unbroken. Just by looking at the thing he could hear Theo’s voice.

 

 


	2. Tape 1 Side A : Paris in The Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Liam hears Scott's reason.

Dinner was silent as Liam felt the cassette pressing on his leg. It was like this thousand pound weight that made him not walk anymore. His stomach felt full, from the vomit that it felt that it was carrying. His mother was trying to keep a conversation going with Liam as he just kept giving one worded answers like “okay” or “good” or “great”. As dinner went on his mind kept hearing Theo’s voice, “Hey it’s Theo, Theo Raeken.” shiveres kept going down his back and he couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up and making a the chair scratch the floor. “I forgot, I need to go to Stiles’s house, we have this history project that we have together.” Liam knew that the boombox was broken and that one was the only one that he had that could play it on. He knew only one person that was old fashioned enough that had a tape player.

“Aren't you going to eat this first?”

“Just put in the fridge,” Liam said as he got his rain jacket, and grabbed his bike. And rode across town. The rain stopped as he put it around his waist. He pedaled faster, faster. Why was he a reason why? Liam thought that him and Theo were friends, were they? Did Theo think so? What did he do to Theo that would make him seep so low to kill himself? Liam knew that he liked him maybe more than friends maybe Theo didn’t like it in that way? What was it? What did I do Theo? The question rattled his brain, he turned the street where Stiles lived, and slipped on the brakes, making the wheels rolled on the cement, and the bike title off the ground. Stiles and the Sheriff were on the lawn as they were working on the Jeep again.

“See? Something is making the engine squeal.”

“Yeah you’re right son.” The Sheriff looked at Liam and pointed and waved at him. Stiles looked at the boy that had worry written all over his face. Sties waved hello and Liam came over viewing the Jeep’s engine with them. Silence wore on all of them, which the son and the sheriff were working on the engine like they had one mind. “So what are doing here?” Stiles asked finally, with oil grease all over his shirt and arms. Before Liam can speak, “Actually, can you turn on the engine?”

“Yeah, Sure.” Liam hesitated. He went inside the the jeep and saw a cassette player on the dashboard of the Jeep. He looked at the men in from of the car admiring the engine. They were talking, disagreeing about the turntable or something. Liam snook his hand across the dashboard and grabbed the Walkman putting it inside his pocket.

“You can turn it off now!”

Liam turned the key, turning the ignition off. Stiles came to the door, and looked at Liam, “you okay? It looks like you've seen a ghost.”

“Yeah, you have no idea.” Liam smirked hesitantly. Liam wanted to tell someone about the box of tapes he got in the afternoon, the sheriff was right there. But he was a reason why Theo Raeken killed himself. Would it incriminate him? What were the the other reasons? More specifically who who the reasons?

“So what do you want to tell me?”

“Huh?”

“Well you did ride your bike all the way here. You wanted something right?” Stiles say leaning on the door.

“I forgot my phone in here.” Liam lied, propping his phone toward Stiles’ face.

“Well do you want to stay for dinner?”

Liam gripped the Walkman in his pocket, “No, Thanks anyways, Marcus already made steak. So and you know how my mom gets when I'm out of the house.” Liam got out of the car and he walked backwards awkwardly as Stiles looked at him weirdly, “watch out with your--” Liam bumped into his bike causing it to fall over. “Yep my bike I got it don’t worry.” he yelled over the lawn waving back to Stiles. “I’m okay, I’m okay.” he got on his bike and rode away.

Reaching the abandoned park, he looked at the empty bench that overlooked the whole city of Beacon Hills, the sun finally was piercing through the clouds. He felt the warmth of the star, and sat on the wet bench ignoring that his pants were getting wetting. Liam looked the tape he held, What did I do? He thought to himself. Was I the cause of Theo’s death? Wasn’t I his friend? And most importantly, “Could I stopped him? Could I stopped this from happening?” Liam looked felt a drop on his hand, then looked toward the sky, it was clear now, but his eyes were watering. He didn’t realize that he was crying, he did think about it, emotions rolled over the boy as if they a road compactor, smashing him into bits. He was crying, “What did I do?” guilt washed over him as if it was like waves crashing on the beach destroying his word of “help” on a stranded island. He held the tape in hand, it was clear, with, the number one on the front. Liam took out his-- Stiles’ walkman, and popped out the pocket, and slid in the tape. He heart was beating fast, faster than it’s ever gone, even on a roller coaster. His fingers closed the cover of the grey old tape player. Liam looked down as his fingers pulled over the play button, and slowly, just slowly pressed play. Suddenly nothing came out of the walkman. “It’s playing, but--” Liam saw the jack that wasn’t hooked to his Beats and he took his red headphones and connected to the jack.

There was silence, as he heard the tape’s roll move around and around, in the big handheld machine in his hand. Liam hated silence, absolutely abhorred it, because he felt silence was unproductive and he was the opposite. Then he heard the voice off his dead friend as his chills went up his back, his legs and he couldn't feel the warmth of the sun anymore, as of the sun exploded and left Earth just cold and sad. His eyes’ vision blocked out the sun and thought poured in making the sky cloudy and cold. Cold chills went up his arms and he felt like he was in dead winter.

“ _Hey it’s Theo, Theo Raeken, don’t adjust on whatever you’re listening this on, It’s me, live and in stereo, no return engagements, no encore, and this time absolutely no requests, so settle in, grab a snack because I’m about to tell you the story of my life well, more specifically how it ended, and if you are listening to this tape that means you are one of the reasons why.”_

Liam didn’t pause the tape, he kept listening, he was speaking, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying to himself, but, he knew that he wasn’t speaking to himself, rather than to Theo, the boy that he liked, the boy that was confused on being an astronaut or a doctor. “What did I do? Theo? I don’t know what I did!”

“ _And if you’re listening to this tape, you’re one of the reason why. I’m not saying which tape brings you into the story. Fear not. If you received this lovely little device, your name will pop up. I promise. The rules here are pretty simple. Rule number one: you listen. Rule number two: you pass it on. Hopefully neither one will be easy. It’s not supposed to be easy, or I would have emailed you an MP3. When you’re done listening to all thirteen sides, because there are thirteen sides to every story, rewind the tapes, put them back in the box, and pass it on to the next person. I should tell you lovely people that there are copies of these tapes and if one of you doesn't follow the rules they will be destrubed in a very public manner. Oh, and I trusted an individual with following you around to keep the flow moving. Happy Listening.”_

Liam’s hands were trembling, he didn’t know what to do, the sun was setting as some of the stars shined he carefully listened to the tapes. Words collided with his thoughts and Theo’s voice like, hell, me, thirteen, school, and many more. The tapes shouldn’t be with him, they shouldn’t, that was the answer that his brain gave, it was an accident, yeah, Liam Dunbar did know Theo Raeken and may have a slight crush on the Raeken boy, but was he the reason why the boy killed himself? Was Liam the person? Obviously not, Liam calmed down a little, as Theo talked say the taped were passed on to person to person.

“ _I almost forgot. If you were on my list, you should have received a map,”_ Theo ruffled a paper in the microphone, displaying it. Liam stood up, looking around, as his realize that he wasn’t with the entire box, with the rest of the tapes, “Shit.” he cussed out of his mouth, he ran to his bike feeling the wetness that was on his butt. Theo voice went on, liam stopped in his tracks and his fingers found the pause button and pressed it. He was across town, he biked faster than he ever could, through red lights and across parking lots finally finding himself on Savannah Road, in a blue house. He went inside without speaking to either of his parents, and locked the door of his room behind him. Curse word rattled his brain trying to find the multied color box he open a few hours ago. “Where is it?” he kept mouthing. The box wasn’t on his bed, nor his desk, or his chair. Then his mother knocked adding to his problem of the knocking the door, which was against her damn rules. “Liam!”

“For cry out loud.” Liam said unlocking then opening it. “What mom?” he said flatly.

“Why was your door locked,”

“I’m seventeen mom, teenagers need privacy.”

“Not in this house, don’t lock your door again or I’ll ground you.” she said, adding to the softer note, “Dinner's in the fridge ready like you wanted okay?”

“Yeah sure.” Liam said looking around his room answering, finally he asked his mother as a last resort, “Did you see a box?”

“Multi-colored? Marcus told me its a history project,” she said she smiled slightly, “It’s in the living room.”

“Thanks mom.”

Liam went downstairs as he saw the boxing untouched on the wooden table. He counted the tapes and saw a folded paper, as instructed by Theo. The sweaty boy, went back to his room, and sat on his chair. Unfolding the crumpled, water-damaged old paper, the map of Beacon Hills had stickers and stars writing on some of the locations, like Rocky’s, the restaurant that Liam and Theo worked at together. And the huge tree hump that Theo went to for stargazing. Liam’s stomach started to close up as he remembered the time that he Theo took him to the old tree hump. He didn’t know much about star gazing but, they seemed so bright, brighter where Theo took him. He could hear the animals around him, the crickets chirping, and birds trying to find their way back to their nests, cheeping to their fellow family members.

Liam took the walkman and rewound the tape, to the part he was at. His mind was racing, his ears just listened toward Theo’s soft voice.yet, another question came into his head; why would Theo go to this trouble just to kill himself? Liam breathed as he pressed play and heard theo’s voice come nis headphones.

“ _Throughout the tapes I will be mentioning, several spots around our beloved city for you to visit I can't force you to go there but, if you'd like a little more insight just heard for the stars or, if you'd like just throw the maps away, whatever, maybe I'll never know.”_

Liam looked at the map, then at the window, seeing the street, as a car went by. His lungs just wanted to breathe, it was enough that Theo, thought that he was a reason why the boy killed himself but, why? Liam had this ache, a question that had to be solved, there what no note, nothing, but this, these tapes had each reason, these people were the reason. He had to see the side of Theo Raeken. The boy sat up from his chair and gathered the map, his keys and the walkman to follow Theo, his past life anyways. All he wanted to know was what was his reason what was Theo’s thoughts of Liam before he died, what if Liam did something bad that he didn’t recall, what was it? What made Theo drive himself to kill himself? What did these people do? “What did I do?” Liam asked himself.

“ _Maybe I’m standing right behind you, I don’t know how this… dead thing works yet,”_

Liam’s heart stopped at the word dead, he is, wasn’t he? No coming back, no seeing him at school, no pleasant hellos, it hasn’t hit him that hard, not like this, he wanted to see his geeky smirk like he usually gave him, or his just his smart answers that he gave in class, just everything about Theo Raeken was gone, vanished from thin air. And no one cared. They rather post things on instagram, or give flowers to his ‘shrine’ at school but they don’t know how it hurt did they?

“ _Sorry, that wasn’t fair.”_

_“So, listeners are you ready?” Theo breathed, “Are you ready to hear the truth about my first kiss? Was it yours too Scott?”_

Scott McCall? He’s Stiles’s best friend since childhood, he was nice toward everyone, including Liam but now, now, he’s turned mean, not himself anymore. Everyone called him Mighty Mcall because he was so great at lacrosse plus the fact that he dressed up at He-Man for sophomore year Halloween party. So the name stuck after Halloween.

“ _It was wildfire remember? Don’t you? You were my first kiss. You were my first hand hold. Every time you looked at me it was like my heart exploded. You were my first relationship when I came back to Beacon Hills.”_

No one knew that Scott and Theo dated, not even Liam, Theo never told him. It was recent that Scott came out and it spread like cockroaches in a house. Some of the team, Liam saw, took it light heartedly and others, not so much.

“ _I don't know why I liked you, was it your chocolates of eyes? Your soft voice? Something attracted me to you. When the school year started, when I first saw you on the lacrosse field it was beautiful. Or--”_ Theo giggled, “ _maybe it was the slight concussion you gave me when you threw the lacrosse ball at me. I don't know which, probably I will never. Did you notice my following you around school?”_ Theo plainly laughed, “ _I even found your schedule, so I could devise a plan to meet you again, and finally just finally I can have a conversation with you.”_

Liam shifted his weight on his bicycle, toward the right and saw a small kids park near Malia's house, on Parker Street. Why did Theo bring him here?

“ _Okay listeners we should be at C-5, the red star that's on Parker Street, if you are here, McCall you know why we're here, don't you?_ ” Theo shifted his squeaky chair, “ _After a few weeks of texts and lazy conversations even Malia’s back to school party, we came here, to get away from the noise, the drunk people that kept on drinking. It was our first date, my first kiss.”_

Liam sat on the swing, still listening.

“ _At least that's what we both only experienced that night. I wasn't alone. After the excitement, we decided to go back to Malia’s party, because Alli was my ride home. When we were walking back it started to pour, as if it was the earth was trying to turn the land into an ocean. We started to run, you held my hand, and you pushed me inside your arms and just kissed me. But I know you wanted something more than just a kiss Scott, the way you were cupping my face, The way you messed my hair, you wanted something sexier something to satisfy your night? Once we reached Malia’s no one paid attention to us, as we went up stairs, into a room we changed find clothes that probably was her father’s but nevertheless less you exited, leaving me in the room without a word. That's it. That's all I got. But not you, rumors spread, Scott, even now a days they spread even faster. Soon they reached me.”_

Liam’s heart started to rise, as he found an old text from Scott, he scrolled up and saw a photo, the face was indistinguishable, but his pants were low, exposing his underwear, his skin was white, “Theo?”

“ _Faggot, rot in hell, rainbow, should I go on? You told everyone rumors based on what you did, on what we both did oppositely. I thought you liked me. Rumors based on a kiss.”_

Liam didn't care, he read the caption, “Look at this fag! Theo The Fag!” Liam paused, looking at Theo, his body froze, as if he was malfunctioning, blood rushed out of his face, Theo looked at everyone staring at him, surrounded him with shame and disgust. Theo quickly ran out of the classroom with tears rolling down his eyes. The teacher called his name but he was already out of the class. Liam felt disgusted, not at Scott, or Theo, but to himself, he should've gone after him, to tell him something anything. Liam believed it, the rumors many versions of that night, never hearing Theo’s side. Was Theo telling the truth? Or is he lying? But why would a dead boy lie?

“It's not just you, Scotty boy, the story isn't over but, hang on, sit tight because you're not done yet. Flip the side and keep listening.”

 


	3. Tape 1 Side 2 : We Don't Talk Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people have secret that they don't want the world to know.

As the tape stopped there was complete silence in Liam’s head, silence was just the right word to describe it. Every word that came in Liam’s head left his brain, it was like his own voice left his consciousness, all was left was Theo’s own voice, his life or what became of it. Liam heard the outside world as it went by, the birds chirped and cars rolled by, it was like he was stuck, falling in a pit quicksand. Slowly hearing words of Theo’s side of his pain. Of his truth. The bullying of the self torment that he went through. That day in class, he didn’t know what truly happened, if he did he could, no-- he should’ve done something. Theo glanced at him, his blue eyes turned from passion to sadness, it was just a fraction of a second that everything changed, a fraction of a second that a text can change everything of people’s thoughts. Liam didn’t see Theo the rest of the day, the only classes they had together was humanities and biology and he wasn’t there. That glance that Liam saw, that glance, Liam knew that something horrible changed. It was like a sea of tears that a boat could sail fell. Liam didn’t get up, he stayed.

 

Liam sat rolled the swing he was on, starting at the open walkman he had in his hand. Two parts of him debated about turning the tape, side one told him to let Theo’s death go; agreeing with his mother but, side two, the side that wanted to know the reasons why Theo did what he did. Theo’s voice echoed in Liam’s mind, everyone that is in the tapes, are supposed to be listen, and know why at least Theo’s side. Liam wanted to know what was his reason, and knowing sounding like a broken recording, hating to be one, there was more to the story than just a one boy’s suicide, there was thirteen reasons, people involved with his death and he wanted them to know, he wanted everyone to know why including his. And Liam is going to find out why. Liam breathed, closing his eyes awaking his ears.

 

The boy flipped the taped and closed the cover and pressed play.

 

“ _Welcome to side two, I hope some of you are still listening to know why I did what I did because it was your fault to be on my list.” Theo breathed, pausing and kept on speaking “In some cases, Scott helped me, I told my parents I was gay, and they understood as did Allison. After months of solitary, I was called to the guidance office and met with Mr. Deaton, both of us never knew each other or met or noticed each other until now. Apparently both had almost the same problem; no friends.” Theo grinned out the last part, “And I gotta say the motherfucker was good at his job.but you had to ruin it didn’t you Malia, welcome to your tape.”_

 

Liam paused, Malia? As in Malia Tate? Scott's girlfriend? What did he have to do with Theo’s death? Liam didn’t know how they came into contact, nevertheless Malia moved to the school just over a year ago. Liam didn’t know much about her. Other than she’s  a cheerleader and her dad is in the military.  

 

_"But I don't want to talk about you for a moment. I want to talk about our mutual friend Corey.”_

 

_“_ Corey Bryant?”

 

_“Hello Theo, this is Corey, I want you two to be friends.”_

 

_“Well you can't force people to be friends like this it's just awkward. No offense Connor.”_

 

_“Yeah I mean I got nothing against Thomas but isn't it a but forced?”_

 

_Deaton just smirked at the both of us, liking the dynamic he created. I did too, after school, I found you walking home, in the same direction. “Yo Corey!” After some boring chit chat we went to Rocky’s, at the same time, the same day, Wednesday's at 4:00. It was boring chit chat, like the latest gossip on the lacrosse team, video  games, Corey, you became my best friend after months of sleepovers and study sessions at my house. After months of endless fries and milkshakes two became three, and Malia joined us in our Rocky Wednesdays. It was the three of us against the world. The three of us, three different people one tormented by the world around him, one that had a secret, and one girl that wanted more than two people’s attention.”_

 

“So what did Corey do?” Liam asked.

 

_“So I bet you're asking yourself why didn't the whole school know that Theo “man whore” Raeken had a tiny friend? To tell you the truth, everyone did know but your reputation preceded you that everyone forgot about me and Corey. You, Malia,  misunderstood what friendship was. Friendship is like a flower if you don't take care of it, they die.”_

 

Liam got up, from leaning on a car, seeing a light come on at the Tate house, he hid behind it still listening.

 

“ _So everyone gather your map and I want you to place your finger on H-5 everyone, a place everyone in Beacon Hills knows fairly well. Where burgers are oversized and milkshakes come with more milk than ice cream.”_

Liam paused the tape, as he creeped his head over the hood of the car and saw only Henry Tate, smoking a cigarette, finally he saw a familiar car coming around, Scott’s beat up Chrysler, and the girl’s face lightened as she got in and kissed her boyfriend. He got up and Mr. Tate stared at him, weirdly, he ignored the glare and rode his bike to Rocky’s.

 

The diner was pretty big, it had shiny silver linings on the outside, and it patterned pink and blue streaks within the silver linings. The sign was huge, brighter than any Vegas sign Liam saw. Once inside, the seats were, old car seats, and it echoed Elvis and 80’s music all day. Liam saw Deputy Parrish, in the bar, eating a burger, and staring at him. And Liam just sat at the end of the aisle.

 

“What can I get you?” Liam knew that voice, irritated, and just plain mean. He saw a strawberry blonde next to him that held a notepad and a pen ready to take down an order.  Lydia Martin patiently waited for Liam’s order. Liam in the other hand just  looked up and saw his math tutor staring at him not ready. He forgot how tacky the uniforms are, a striped apron, covering a knee length dress. “Oh Liam.”

 

“You're working here now?”

 

“Where else can a teenager work at in this town without a proper resume?”

 

“True.”

 

“So what should I get you?”

 

“Just a vanilla milkshake.”

 

“Lydia!” The girl wrote it down then a ding from a bell came in from the kitchen for a new order.

 

Once the girl was out of sight Liam pressed play. “ _Months went by and you were also new, you sat alone at the cafeteria table, and in the library, so we just plopped on your table in Rocky's. We got to know you, and after a while it was fun, I thought we having a greatest time of our lives. You thought I didn't see the way you were looking at Corey? You had a crush on him. I didn't know how serious it was was until a month of being alone at Rocky’s I got a text from Corey, asking to meet. Then I didn't know you've done, I didn't know about the list. And secrets broke you,--it broke the three of us-- and we told everything about each other. But this one was life changing wasn't it Corey?_ ” Theo came closer to the microphone, his voice changed from disappointment to a little bit of joy, just a pinch of it, “ _it was great to finally find someone that knew what you were going through, the loneliness, the pain of being teased all the fucking time, just because you liked someone else. I knew that you didn’t want to out like me, I mean I didn’t either, but everyone knew already, I am a great secret teller, I mean I will take your secret to my grave, literally. But that all changed after the list.”_

 

The list?

 

Liam remembered a piece of paper that went around the school of a list, noting the different people. He didn't read it or sign it he glanced and disgustly passed it on. He didn't realize that Corey's name was on it. 

 

“ _Corey told me his secret at the same time you I saw his name on the category you placed him Malia. And it wasn’t your right to put anyone down there even if you were mad or not. I still have the forgotten list that everyone made,”Liam heard a paper flap around the microphone. “ there still is Corey Bryant in blue ink, under “in the closet” and everyone knew what that meant. I didn’t see that turn of events immediately, more like a punch in the face.”_

 

_Theo saw one of his best friends stand with a paper in his hand crunched up. Anger was written all over his face. Theo never saw him this mad before, he could feel the tension from where he was standing, yet he smiled and walked to his friend since he didn’t see him for a while now._

_“Hey Corey--”_

_“Did you do this?”_

_“What are you talking about?”_

_Theo saw the paper and saw the list that Corey was on, “everyone knows now, who did you tell? How dare you do this to me?”_

_“I didn’t tell anyone I swear!”_

_“Don’t lie to me, Theo.”_

_“Corey please!” finally the rage came out in a punch, that connected to Theo’s face, powerful, it knocked Theo to the ground._

“ _I don’t want to talk to you ever again.” Corey was surprised as well, everyone in the diner looked at the two boys and Corey looked around as the whole scene was frozen and he just ran away. Theo, got up, and a waitress gave him a pack of ice._

 

“ _The only two people that knew Corey was gay was me and you Malia. And you put on a list for the whole school to see.”_

 

As the vanilla milkshake reached his table, Lydia saw the walkman, and Liam’s concentrated face, which she has seen when he’s trying to do a equalites after school. Liam’s face was filled with sadness and hate, she became curious of what he was listening too, she stayed there for a second and dropped her pen hear the voice that played and recognized from her P.E. class it was Theo Raeken’s. Still she could only hear bits of the recording, like “separated, or alone.” Liam looked up as Lydia put down the tall cup of milkshake and smiling thanking her.

 

“What are you listening to?” Lydia asked knowing that Liam would lie.

“Nothing special, an extra credit thing for history.” Liam did lie.

Lydia simply nodded, as walked way, to the bar, cleaning the mess that Parrish left. She looked at Liam, as he pressed play and a few more seconds the cover popped and he took off his Beats.   

_  
_ _“You made us separate, and I was alone again. You made me feel isolated Malia. You made being different is a bad thing. The thing was I didn't realize was I was on the list too. You didn't see what I saw, the hidden faces, the comments that everyone told about me."_ Again Liam heard paper flutter at the other end of the microphone, " _the biggest_   _ass in the tenth grade_." Theo swallowed saliva he had in his mouth trying to keep his emotions in check  " _I had no one to go to, no friends to help me. I was truly alone. You made me feel like I was there. Nothing."_

Liam ordered the milkshake to go as he rewound the tape and he exited the diner. He found his bike leaning on the dumpster missing a tire.

“Great.” he mumbled. He didn’t bother with bringing the rest of the bike home since it was past midnight. He knew that he had to climb to his bedroom to not wake his parents. As he was walking he noticed the same car trailing him, block after block. He couldn’t see the person in the car, or what car it was he stopped, and saw the car speed up toward him, and Liam started to run fast fast as he can, he reached the park and and car jumped the curb, finally stopping with a broken grinding sound, then the hood started to smoke.

“Great.” is the word that the mystery driver said, and Liam knew that voice, skirmish and nervous.

“Stiles?”

Stiles looked at his jeep then at Liam, finally choosing Liam.

“What are you doing?”

 

“Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, it matters of what you're _gonna_ do with Theo’s tapes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys your at the end of the third chapter! I hope you like this so far! Comment and like! Love you guys

**Author's Note:**

> If you are wondering about the title is a time a clock. I might change the title. I might not.


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